At Adrian's Monday night salsa class the term "Ambidancer" was used.

An ambidancer is a person who can dance as both a lead and a follow. During the beginners class there were more ladies (follows) than guys (leads) so Adrian had the 2 spare ladies dance as leads and follows. At each rotation the follow moved on, the leading lady swapped to become the follow and the next lady moving around the circle then had a go at leading. This meant that all the ladies (follows) in the class had a turn at being a lead, and no one stood out waiting a turn. As salsa has easy footwork and is the same for both leads and follows, this gave all the ladies a taste at being a lead in an easy class and they all loved the experience. It was a great way to keep everyone involved, challenged and moving in the dance class. Maybe more ladies could try this instead of standing out waiting their turn in dance classes. I think it would work if the dance teachers encouraged it and made sure the extra ladies were in pairs so it flowed.

The following is a bit more on the concept of being an "Ambidancer"


AMBIDANCER

A dancer who can dance as both a lead and a follow

Learning to be an ambidancer will make you a better dancer, open up a whole new dance experience, and enable you to dance with anyone. Being able to dance both as a lead and follow will double the number of people you can ask to dance, and it will give you a better understanding of what it’s like to dance in the other role. Changing “sides” in a dance class allows you to build connection and friendships with dancers you don’t normally dance with. As a follow, learning to lead gives a better understanding of the challenge of being a good lead, and an appreciation of how hard it is to remember routines and new moves. As a lead, learning to follow will help you understand how important a clear lead is when social dancing. And trying the other role is a fun challenge. At social dances there are always a few follows dancing as leads, but very rarely do you see leads dancing as follows. So for a fun challenge why not ask the person you are dancing with to have a go at swapping sides for one song, and experience the “other” role and challenge yourself to become a better dancer. It would be great to see the ladies spinning the guys around the dance floor for a change

Jocelyn